Cloth spreader



Sept.28, 1937. GNKUMBERA 2,094,176

CLOTH SPREADER Filed April 20; 1956 INVENTOE 52 age N. (umbera. I

Patented Sept. 28, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIE Claims.

This invention relates to a certain new and useful improvement in what may be descriptively designated cloth-spreaders.

In the manufacture of wearing-apparel gar- 5 ments and the like, economy in cost of production follows from a simultaneous or multiple cutting at a single operation and from a single pattern of a plurality of like sections, and my present invention has for its chief object the provision of means in the form of a structure adapted for movement back and forth or reciprocatorily over a Work-table for mechanically rapidly unwinding a roll of cloth, fabric, or the like and spreading the unwound cloth upon the table uniformly and evenly in the desired number of superposed plies or layers convenient for simultaneous patterncutting.

And with the above and other objects in view, my invention resides in the unique features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts presently described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing,

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a clothspreader constructed in accordance with and embodying my invention; and

Figures 2 and 3 are opposite end views of the cloth-spreader.

Referring now more in detail and by reference characters to the drawing, which illustrates a preferred embodiment of my invention, the structure, which I have designated a spreader, includes a carriage A constructed for movement over and upon a work-table T, the carriage A,

in turn, comprising a pair of end-frames I, 2,

each substantially of A-shape'or so-called inverted V-shape rigidly secured together in suitably spaced, parallel relation by cross-bars 3 and interposed tubular sleeves 4. For ease and convenience of travel, one end-frame, as frame I,

is suitably equipped with rollers or wheels 5 in tandem relation for movement on the table T and the other end-frame, as frame 2, is suitably equipped with circumferentially grooved pulleys or wheels 6 similarly in tandem relation for spreader-guiding movement on a rail 1 provided longitudinally along a margin of the table T, all as best seen in Figure 1.

Removably journalled for rotation upon the bight or body of the end-frames I, 2, for supporting the cloth-roll R to be unwound and spread, is a shaft 8, shiftably disposed on which for properly centering the roll R in the carriage A, are disks or the like 9, whose respective hubs 9' are each equipped with a set-screw I0 engage- Accordingly, in use and operation, the roll R '1'0 of cloth, fabric, or the like to be unwound and spread upon the table T in superposed layers for convenient multiple cutting operations in the economical simultaneousmanufacture of a plurality of garments, as I have described, is dis- 13* posed and centered by the disks 9 on the shaft 8, the free end-portion r of the roll R being brought down and under a respective roller I3 and endwise temporarily retained, as by means of a suitable weight or the like, not shown, on the table T. The carriage A is then moved a desired dis+ tance in one direction over the table and a portion of the roll R is thereby disposed, as at r, in a layer or flatwise, as I may say, on the table T. Travel of the carriage A is then reversed, the so 25 disposed cloth layer 1 being also retained endwise on the table by a second weight or the like,

as at I4, and as the carriage A is thus caused to reversely travel, the unwinding end-portion of roll R shifts to and under the opposite roller I3, 30 and a second or superposed layer 1' is disposed on and over the first layer 1'', and so on until the roll R has been completely unwound and disposed in, as described, superposed layers on the table T, the rollers I3 and their supporting 35 shafts I2 being readily adjustable to meet spreading requirements as the roll R gradually becomes reduced in diametrical dimensions.

To retain the roll-supporting shaft 8 from excessive rotative speed during travel of the car- 40 riage A, the one frame, as frame 2, is equipped with a laterally extending flange or shelf I5, threaded in which for adjustment is a screw or the like I6 carrying for shaft engagement a suitably lined brake-shoe H, the carriage A being also preferably provided with hand-grips I8 for carriage-shifting manipulation.

The spreader may be inexpensively constructed, is facile in use and operation, and is efficient in the performance of its intended functions.

And it is to be understood that changes and modifications in the form, construction, arrangement, and combination in the various parts of the spreader may be made and substitutedfor those herein shown and described without departposed for adjustment in said slots.

ing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,-

1. In a cloth-spreader, in combination, a carriage comprising a pair of spaced parallel endframes of A-structure adapted for movement over a work-table, a roll-supporting shaft journalled for rotation on said frames between the apices of said A shaped end-frames, and rollers mounted for adjustment on the legs substantially upwardly and away from the plane of the worktable for alternate engagement with the unwinding cloth as the carriage is caused to travel recip rocatorily over the table for guiding the cloth toward the table.

2. In a cloth-spreader, a carriage comprising a pair of spaced parallel end-frames of A-structure adapted for movement over a work-table, a roll-supporting shaft journalled for rotation on said frames between the apices of said A shaped end-frames, the legs of said frames being longitudinally slotted in registration, and rollers mounted on said legs substantially upwardly and away from the plane of the work-table for alternate engagement with the unwinding cloth as the carriage is caused to travel reciprocatorily over the table for guiding the cloth toward the table, said rollers having their end-portions dis- 3. A cloth-spreader comprising a pair of similarly shaped inverted V frames, aligned journals formed in the vertices of the frames for receiving a removable cloth-supporting spindle, adjustable brake means mounted in one of the frames for braking engagement with the spindle when the latter is in operative position in the journals, a pair of rods extending between the legs of the frames for holding the latter in rigid parallel alignment, and freely rotating rollers mounted on the rods, said rods and associated rollers being positioned upwardly and away from the plane of the leg-bottoms of the frames for providing an entirely free space through which the cloth may freely drop foldwise upon itself as the course of travel of the cloth-spreader is reversed.

4. A cloth-spreader comprising a pair of similarly shaped inverted V frames, aligned journals formed in the vertices of the frames for receiving a removable cloth-supporting spindle, adjustable brake means mounted in one of the frames for braking engagement with the spindle when the latter is in operative position in the journals, a pair of rods extending between the legs of the frames for holding the latter in rigid parallel alignment, and freely rotating rollers mounted on the rods, said rods being spaced from each other horizontally a distance approximately equal to the distance of the rods above the plane of the leg-bottoms of the frame, for providing an entirely free space through which the cloth may freely drop foldwise upon itself as the course of travel of the cloth-spreader is reversed.

5. A cloth-spreader adapted for cloth-spreading travel to and fro over a work-table comprising a pair of upstanding opposed end frames, each of said end frames being provided with a pair of downwardly and outwardly diverging leg members, a cloth-supporting spindle mounted at its extremities for rotatable movement in and extending transversely between the upper portions of the end frames, and a pair of parallel cloth-engaging rollers, each of said rollers being mounted at its extremities in and extending transversely between opposed leg members of the end frames respectively, said'rollers being spaced laterally from each other and substantially upwardly from the plane of the work-table for providing an entirely free space therebetween through which the cloth may freely drop foldwise upon'itself as the course of travel of the cloth-spreader is reversed.

GEORGE N. KUMBERA. 

